Interview: Hazel Phillips talks about Fire & Ice

Hazel Phillips is the author of Fire & Ice, a backcountry history of Tongariro National Park. She has written three previous books, including Solo: Backcountry adventuring in Aotearoa New Zealand (2022), which was shortlisted in the New Zealand Mountain, Film & Book Festival book awards for mountain and adventure narratives and was a New Zealand non-fiction bestseller. Hazel has a background in newspaper and magazine journalism, and holds a Master of Creative Writing with first-class honours. Fire & Ice is a well-illustrated and lively exploration of the history of Ruapehu, told by this self-confessed ‘Ruapehu addict’, who has an uncanny talent for persuading a cast of great characters to join her on her explorations and investigations. Hazel talks to NZ Booklovers.

Can you tell us a little about the new book?

Fire & Ice is an exploration of the European human footprint in Tongariro National Park and a love letter to my favourite mountain, Ruapehu. I wanted to know: what existed once you stepped off the tracks? What lay in places people seldom trod? And what would Ruapehu allow me to find, if I went gently and asked respectfully?

I went searching, first for history and story, and secondly in real life. I roped in unsuspecting friends to join me on these missions, and you’ll get to meet them, too.

I wanted to know Ruapehu more thoroughly, but I also want people to think about our impact on these mountains, particularly in advance of Te Kāhui Maunga cultural redress processes. These mountains are real treasures, and they need to be looked after.

How difficult was it writing Fire & Ice and what did you find different about the process from your previous books?

The book is a bit of a monster compared to books I’ve written before – it’s 130,000 words and that’s the cut-down version. Wrangling that into a coherent structure was a challenge, as well as deciding what to leave out – I had so much potential content, I could’ve written two books.

I also didn’t know if the premise would work out, when I started – would I be able to actually find all these things, or would I just have the history part and a whole bunch of stories of failure? But I got the sense that Ruapehu, in particular, was letting me in, and sometimes I found a lot more than I’d bargained for (you’ll see what I mean in chapter 7).

What research was involved?

Two types – firstly, digging into the stories and histories – for example, the three plane crashes on Ruapehu, climbers gone missing, or various alpine rescues. That involved going back through old newspaper accounts, books, papers, and sometimes tracking down the ancestors of those involved. Secondly, there was a tangible, physical type of research, where I went out into Tongariro National Park and tried to trace these histories in present day, on the landscape – for example, to find the remnants of plane wrecks, memorial cairns, and derelict huts. Both types of research really spin my wheels. It was a joy to write, and I hope it’s equally fun to read.

What was your routine or process when writing this book?

I try to write on weekdays, first thing in the morning for about an hour, just to lay down the first draft. I do it before anything else – so, coffee in hand, often still in pyjamas, just sit down at the laptop and go at it. I get really obsessed so instead of having to persuade myself to write or to hit a word count, I have to force myself to stop. I also have a full-time day job, so there’s a limit to how much time I can give to writing.

The adventuring bit was way more ad hoc, because you’re waiting for a bunch of factors to come together to enable you to do a trip – sometimes that’s a combination of freezing level, avalanche risk, weather window, time, and availability of whoever I’d decided to victimise by convincing them to come along on a trip. You can’t apply a routine to that stuff. You’re just waiting and hoping.

If a soundtrack was made to accompany the new book, name a song or two you would include.

I’d have to be true to the book’s title and say ‘Ice Ice Baby’ by Vanilla Ice, plus ‘Ring of Fire’ by Johnny Cash.

What did you enjoy the most about writing Fire & Ice?

Finding the perfect little nuggets of information that would allow me to piece together a story in a way I hope really entertains and engages the reader! And it really buzzed me out to be able to find things on and around the mountains – it was like a treasure hunt.

What did you do to celebrate finishing this book?

A luxurious weekend of glamping overlooking Taupō Moana, toasting the book going to print with a cold glass of bubbles in a hot tub. Very indulgent and not at all the sort of lifestyle I engaged in while researching and writing the book! (Think unwashed weekends and soggy scroggin.)

What is the favourite book you have read so far this year and why?

The Axeman’s Carnival by Catherine Chidgey. I was sceptical about the concept of a magpie narrator but Tama made me laugh out loud. I’m a wee bit in awe of how she weaves the fabric of story.

What’s next on the agenda for you?

I’m deep into researching the next book, which is about early women climbers and adventurers of Aoraki Mount Cook. The stories of these women have so far only been told in niche spaces and fragmented places – I’m hoping to bring them all together in a compelling new way. Pray for my laptop keyboard – I’ve already worn out eight letters.

Massey University Press